seared yellowfin tuna w/ wild blueberry compote & brown basmati

what do you do when you’re on a cleanse and you dream of red meat? ok, so perhaps i’m being a little dramatic. ;)

it’s not a crazy strict cleanse — just trying to avoid meat and cheese during a post-holiday cleanse and get back into a healthy routine. it’s been less than a week into it, and i’ve been trying to find creative ways to cook veggies and seafood. as a happy alternative to red meat, i thought i’d try seared tuna tonight… it’s kinda like red meat. kinda, sorta, not really. :)

the brown basmati will take approx 35-40min for prep/cooking time, so best to start the basmati before starting the tuna.

the basmati:
- add 1 cup uncooked, organic brown rice basmati (gluten-free) & 2 cups water to small pot. bring to boil.
- stir a few times and reduce to medium heat. simmer for 30-35min with cover, until water is absorbed into grains.
- allow to cool for a few min. fluff with fork. set aside.

the yellowfin:
- heat up 2 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat
- brown 1 large shallot (peeled, rough chop) in pan
- add 1/2 tsp fennel seed and brown w/ shallots until fennel is toasted
- add 1 fillet of fresh yellowfin tuna to pan
- season fillet w/ ground black peppercorns
- lightly drizzle a splash of white wine over the fillet (optional — i used some sauvignon blanc here.)
- sear tuna fillet to your preference
- remove from heat & allow to cool. cut seared tuna fillet into long slices

the blueberry compote:
- 1/4 cup frozen wild blueberries (thawed)
- gently squish blueberries w/ mortar & pestle until a gooey consistency

creamy shrimp fettucine w/ white wine sauce

what do you do with a bottle of white wine that’s been left too long uncorked?

while i do enjoy the occasional tacky, kitschy souvenir, one of my fave things to try and buy when traveling is a fantastic bottle of local vino. a few years ago, i enjoyed an amazing bottle of french white wine with good friends while visiting paris. it was a spectacular white, and i was so excited to bring home a bottle from france to enjoy on a special occasion. fast-forward a few years later, when i decide to uncork the bottle with an old travel buddy visiting this weekend while watching the royal wedding (like everyone else and their dog!). special occasion, indeed. alas, the bottle of white had gone slightly off in taste. le sigh.

in the spirit of not letting good food or drink go to waste, i decided to use the slightly-off vino as cooking wine instead. typically, they say you should only use wine that you would drink, or wine that mimics the taste you are aiming for, so i guess it was a bit of gamble using this wine-gone-bad as a cooking ingredient. fortunately, this wine-infused culinary experiment was a success!

eggplant two ways: eggplant tagliatelle & organic spinach eggplant salad w/ white wine salami & sicilian olives

eggplant is the new black. at least i like to think so. :) i tried a culinary experiment earlier this week to figure out two ways to dish up eggplant for dindins & leftover redux for lunch.

pasta dish for dindins:
eggplant tagliatelle w/ white wine salami & sicilian olives

- place tagliatelle in boiling water and cook for a few minutes until al dente. add a pinch of salt, if you like.
- brown 1 clove garlic (thinly sliced) w/ extra virgin olive oil (evoo) in shallow pan at high heat
(tip: try using a potato peeler to get really thin slices of garlic, but be careful not to nick your fingers!)
- once garlic is browned, add 1 eggplant (thinly sliced rounds). drizzle evoo and sprinkle ground nutmeg & ground black peppercorns.
-1/2 cup white wine salami sausage (cut into bite-size strips, drizzle evoo & toss with 1/8 cup finely chopped fresh italian parsley in small prep bowl)
- 1/2 cup sicilian olives (cut in halves)
(tip: you can typically find different varieties of olives & salami at the deli.)
- add olives & salami w/ eggplant in pan. salami sausage is usually pre-cooked, so you just need to heat and mix w/ the flavours in the pan.